Asian shares sank on Friday in early trading after US stocks surrendered a chunk of their historic gains from the day before.
The deepening worries over president Donald Trump’s trade war helped pull Japan’s Nikkei 225 share index down 5.6%. By mid-morning in Tokyo, it was down 4.7% at 32,969.95.
Meanwhile, the yen surged against the US dollar, which also lost value against the euro. South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.6% to 2,400.34, while in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 shed 2.1% to 7,552.10.